“5小時能量”飲料制造商搗毀大型制假網絡

????“5小時能量”飲料制造商因其產品安全問題正在接受調查。最近，該公司發現并關閉了一個非法制假網絡，經由該網絡，流入美國的假冒高咖啡因能量飲料達數百萬瓶。

????通過在美國的100,000多個零售網點，Living Essentials每周直銷正品“5小時能量”飲料超過900萬瓶。上周，《紐約時報》（New York Times）報道稱，美國食品與藥品管理局（U.S. Food and Drug Administration）正在調查過去四年里的13起死亡報告。據稱，這13起報告均與“5小時能量”飲料有關。但該公司依然堅稱，它的產品對人體沒有任何危害。

????周一公開的法庭文件披露，去年十月底，在由美國紐約布魯克林地區法官松本紀代和加州舊金山地區法官威廉·阿爾索普授權的秘密搜查行動中，該公司共查獲超過180萬瓶假冒產品。該公司聲稱，其年銷售額超過10億美元。

????除了聲稱假冒產品“具有潛在危險”之外，Living Essentials提交的法庭文件中并未提及假冒產品可能帶來的健康危害。被查獲的假冒產品共有三種口味：莓果味、莓果味加強型和橙味。這種飲料的售價為每瓶2至4美元，通常按打出售。假冒產品盜用了正品上的批號。

????公司在請求進行搜查的授權時稱：“Living Essentials公司對于與假冒產品相關的嚴重不良后果尚不清楚。但Living Essentials公司無法保證假冒產品的安全性或純度。假冒產品由未知的不法分子制造……”

????公司沒有立即做出評論，但根據Living Essentials公司律師、來自帕特森，貝爾納普，韋布和泰勒律師事務所（Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler）的杰弗里·波特的陳述，假冒產品的源頭是位于圣地亞哥的一家工廠。搜查人員于上周四對該工廠進行了搜查?！咀钚孪ⅲ涸谙颉敦敻弧冯s志（Fortune）發布的一份聲明中，“5小時飲料”總裁斯科特·亨德森稱：“不法分子肆意欺騙我們忠誠、勤勉的客戶，并從中牟利，這令我們非常憤怒，因為這些客戶相信我們能夠為他們提供高質量的產品和全球最優秀的能量飲料?！贝送?，這份新聞稿還指導消費者如何識別假冒產品?！?/p>

????Already under scrutiny about the safety of its products, the manufacturer of 5-Hour Energy drinks has uncovered and is shutting down an illegal counterfeiting network that flooded the nation with millions of bottles of fake versions of the high caffeine energy drink.

????Every week, Living Essentials sells more than nine million genuine bottles of the over-the-counter 5-Hour Energy drinks through more than 100,000 retail outlets in the United States. The company insists its products are not harmful, although the New York Times reported last week that?13 deaths in the last four years, allegedly linked to the drink, are being investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

????Court documents unsealed Monday reveal that the company, which says its sales are more than $1 billion a year, has seized more than 1.8 million bottles of counterfeit products during raids secretly authorized in late October by U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in Brooklyn, N.Y. and U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, Calif.

????Except to call the fakes "potentially dangerous," the court papers filed by Living Essentials make no mention of possible health hazards from the counterfeit versions, which were discovered in three flavors: Berry, extra strength Berry and Orange. The drinks sell for $2 to $4 a bottle and are often sold in 12-packs. The counterfeiters used lot numbers found on real products.

????In its request for authorization to conduct the raids, the company said: "Living Essentials is not aware of serious adverse consequences associated with the counterfeits. However, Living Essentials cannot vouch for their safety or purity. The counterfeits have been manufactured by unknown criminals..."

????The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but according to the complaints filed by Geoffrey Potter, of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, the attorney for Living Essentials, the fake products were traced back to a San Diego factory, which was raided last Thursday. [Update:?In a statement released to Fortune, Scott Henderson, president of 5-hour Energy, said: "We are extremely upset that a group of alleged criminals preyed upon and profited from the loyal, hardworking customers who have come to rely on us to provide them with a high-quality product and the world's leading energy shot."?This press release?tells customers how to identify counterfeits.]